WASHINGTON, May 12 – Officials at the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are developing plans to bring employees back to their workplace following more than a year since the Trump administration closed the agency’s Washington headquarters and attempted to dismantle its staff, according to three sources familiar with the situation.
The workplace return strategy for the consumer protection agency has not been shared with employees yet, and the timeline for implementation remains undetermined, sources indicated.
Currently, the downtown headquarters building is partially being used by the Office of Management and Budget, led by Director Russell Vought who also oversees the CFPB, according to five sources knowledgeable about the building’s occupancy.
Sources were unable to confirm whether employees would return to the original CFPB headquarters location or if the directive would apply to agency personnel stationed in other locations beyond Washington.
Agency representatives did not provide immediate responses to requests for comment on Tuesday. In February, the Trump administration terminated the headquarters lease and transferred the building to the General Services Administration, as previously documented by Reuters.
Following initial calls for completely shutting down the CFPB last year, senior administration leaders now indicate they have reduced their plans to dramatically cut the agency’s staff. A judge’s temporary restraining order preventing this action continues to stand after a lower court determined the administration intended to destroy the CFPB before courts could rule on the legality of such actions.
Due to severely limited agency operations and an uncertain future, numerous CFPB workers have departed the organization, which was established after the 2008 financial crisis to safeguard Americans from exploitative consumer lending practices. Staff numbers have decreased by approximately 30% since the Trump administration began, based on legal documents.
Senior administration leaders, including President Donald Trump, have characterized the CFPB as a politically motivated obstacle to business freedom, while Democratic lawmakers and agency supporters have called elimination efforts a corporate favor that harms consumers.
